++The 'here's hoping' traveling teabox!! SIGN UPS are now CLOSED

Sign ups are now closed!

I’m starting a traveling teabox! I have a ton of tea to share.. and I’d love being surprised with new ones to try (when the box gets back to me). I know I haven’t received the teabox that Momo started yet, but there should be enough tea to go around! The box I’ll be mailing will be 10×11.5×7 inches. It will have everything from full ounces, to enough tea for a cup or two, and some teabags. The teas you include can be your favorites you want others to try or things that just weren’t “your cup of tea.” The idea will be to replace an equal amount of tea that you take out. Please post on this thread updates on the box when you get it, like what you took out of the box and what you added to the box. Please send the delivery confirmation to me and the person you are sending the box to (Do NOT post it in this thread, due to privacy issues).

It’s called the ’Here’s hoping’ traveling teabox because not only am I hoping it works, but it might give others more confidence that other boxes might work. I know many people have been disappointed by these boxes before.

Not to offend anyone, but I reserve the right to include people who have been on Steepster a while, who I deem are more trustworthy, who I know are active with trading, just so there is less chance for the teabox to get lost. I know many people will want to join, so not everyone can be included anyway, and I’ll be choosy. Don’t hate me! Or you can start your own teabox. :D I will update this thread with the shipping order, which is how you’ll know if you’re in or not!

SO read the rules and follow me so I can send you messages. The box should be moving in a few weeks.

RULES:

+The teabox will travel within the US only. Sorry! I want to keep shipping costs down! PLEASE mail with the delivery confirmation option (it’s 80 cents the last time I checked)! Post updates on the box in this thread. Please add an equal amount of tea that you remove. Also include on this thread what you added to the teabox and what you took out.

Edited to add: Please do NOT post in this thread with the delivery confirmation number due to privacy issues and your location being public. Please send the number to me and the person you are mailing the box to.

+ Please only keep the tea box for a couple weeks at most. It should give you time to sample some things in the box, but not too long that it is held up! Let me know if something comes up before the box gets to you and I can move you in the list.

+ Please make sure you are following at least a couple people after you and before you on the mailing list (and hopefully they will be following you) so you can get their address quicker, and in case the next person doesn’t respond. Also, ask for the next person’s address as soon as you get the teabox, or even when you know the tea box is on its way to you. Check to make sure they are ready to get the box shortly before you mail it out.. something may have changed (I’ve lost many packages asking for addresses way before I mail something.) I think it’s easier if I don’t collect addresses, since if the person you’re asking for an address doesn’t at least respond to that, it means they aren’t ready for the box.

+Make sure each tea name and brand is labeled. List ingredients on tea labels in case other people have allergies to it.

+Try not to put strong smelling teas that might contaminate other teas in the box. For example, I store all of my smoky teas away from the others and I wouldn’t put them in a teabox. They’d make all the other teas smoky! I also store my samples by keeping smaller ziplock bags with similar kinds of tea (ie: oolongs) in larger ziplock bags to keep the tea a bit fresher.

+Please don’t put anything heavy in there that isn’t tea (like a mug! Yikes!) Tea tins will also increase weight, but it’s up to you to include them or not.

+It’s also a nice idea to look at the shopping lists of the next couple of members after you on the list, to see if you have any teas they’d like to try!

+Make sure the box isn’t too beat up before you send it to the next person and replace with a new box if necessary.

+If you’re trying to search for this thread, just remember TEABOX (one word) and search for that in the forums.. there aren’t too many search results for that.

SHIPPINGORDER / PARTICIPANTLISTVeronica – New Jersey Received 3.1.13 Sent 3.7.13Alphakitty – New York Received 3.9.13 Sent 3.14.13Ellyn – Massachusetts Received 3.16.13 Sent 3.26.13JacquelineM – New Jersey Received 3.28.13 Sent 4.5.13TeaEqualsBliss – Pennsylvania Received 4.9.13 Sent 5.28.13tperez – Florida Received 5.30.13 Sent 7.11.13yappychappy – Georgia -not responding about address. skipped for nowJosie Jade – North Carolina Received 7.14.13 Sent 7.24.13 CharlotteZero – California asked to be skippedClaire – California Received 7.30.13 Sent 8.10.13Awkward Soul – California Received 8.12.13 Sent 8.25.13Terri HarpLady – Missouri Received 9.1.13 Sent 9.13.13Back to me – Tea Sipper – New York – It’s back! 9.19.13 Getting round 2 ready!

Please do NOT use a USPS priority box to replace the box, since if someone doesn’t pay priority shipping for the box, it WILL get lost in the mail.

thanks everyone! I’m looking forward to this! I’ll be selecting tea to go in the box in the meantime!

The other one is doing fine, the one where you should get something…that’s where I just feel bad/angry every day. I’m to the point where if I don’t know what’s going on by the first I’m just sending you and Alphakitty tea.

Oh no! Don’t worry about me not getting tea if Tea Box B doesn’t get to me eventually. It just bugs me because I know you put YOUR tea in the box and everyone else put effort into it, but you won’t be getting any tea out of a missing box. So I’m more upset about it for you than I am for me… this box might be another story though! I’m crossing my fingers… for all the teaboxes!

I agree with your statement, momo. Very brave indeed. It’s been years since I did one, which disappeared TWICE! Once halfway through, and again between last stop and me, people routinely breaking the rule about not letting it swell in size, sending on quickly and generally complaining. Still quite burnt out on it, to be honest. Every time I see somebody offering to start one, I can’t help wondering if they know what they’re getting into. :p

HOWEVER! That said, Tea Sipper, remember that just because I had a number of bad experiences doesn’t mean that you will too. When it works, it’s loads of fun.

Angrboda — I’m sorry you’ve had problems in the past too. But I’d like to think Steepsters are generally good people, so I’ll hope for the best. I think the postal system would be more of a problem though.

I am`fairly new here and I would love to participate if you would consider me. If I haven’t established enough history here on Steepster to be considered trustworthy I will understand of course and hope to be included in the future. My location is in Alabama. Nevertheless, I wish this traveling teabox the best of luck. It sounds like tremendous fun to share and see what turns up in the box.

Its way bigger than you think just by looking at a map! I’m in Greensburg, though I have family in Latrobe, Monongahela, and Uniontown. Around the areas where folks don’t get confused by the pronoun “yunz”. How about you?

I grew up in San Diego, & although I spent lots & lots of time at the beach, I never surfed. When I moved to Missouri I got the same questions, & they referred to me as “that hippy chic from California”.

I grew up in Los Angeles, in the music scene surrounded by stars and artists and let me tell you it is a boring horrid nightmare full of subtance abuse and pettiness. It astonishes me that anyone gets any art done at all! It seems like 9 times out of 10 they’re just drinking, partying and doing drugs. I’m so done with Los Angeles. I’m moving to the suburbs asap. I do tea, not drugs and that just doesn’t seem to fly in LA. :S